St Mary’s C of EPrimary School Hadleigh

Behaviour and Discipline Policy

Definition

This policy sets out the expectations of behaviour at St Mary’s C of EPrimary School. The governing body, staff, pupils and parents seek to create an environment which encourages and reinforces good behaviour and the fostering of positive attitudes. Good behaviour is essential for effective teaching and learning to take place. At St. Mary’s pupils and staff have the right to learn and teach in an environment that is safe, respectful, peaceful, fair and forgiving.

The best results, in terms of promoting good behaviour, arise from emphasising potential, rewarding success and giving praise for effort and achievement, rather than focusing on shortcomings and failure.

Aims

  • To promote a positive, Christian ethos and climate in the school, learning to forgive and learn from our mistakes.
  • To create an environment that encourages and reinforces good conduct and learning behaviour.
  • To define acceptable standards and the principles of good behaviour.
  • To help our children develop into caring and thoughtful beings who respect and value the feelings, opinions, beliefs, property and differences of others.
  • To promote self-esteem through success, self-discipline and positive relationships.
  • To ensure that the school’s expectations and strategies are widely known and understood.
  • To work alongside parents to encourage our children to develop socially, personally, academically, morally and spiritually in preparation for a positive role in society.

Role of the staff

The adults encountered by the children at school have an important responsibility to model high standards of behaviour, both in their dealings with the children and with each other, as their example has an important influence on the children.

As adults we shall:

  • create a positive climate with realistic expectations;
  • emphasise the importance of being valued as an individual within the group;
  • promote, through example, honesty and respectfulness;
  • provide a caring and effective learning environment to promote positive learning behaviour;
  • encourage relationships based on kindness, respect and understanding of the needs of others;
  • model forgiveness and ensure each day is a new start for all;
  • ensure fair treatment for all regardless of age, gender, race, ability and disability;
  • show appreciation of the efforts and contributions of all.

All staff members are responsible for dealing with minor incidents of misbehaviour in and around school. A staff member will refer to the Senior Leadership team and ultimately to the Headteacher if they judge an incident to be severe. Teachers keep records of behaviour incidents in folders located in the classrooms.

Role of the Headteacher

It is the responsibility of the headteacher to implement the school behaviour policy consistently throughout the school, and report to governors, when requested, on the effectiveness of the policy. It is also the responsibility of the headteacher to ensure the health, safety and welfare of all children in the school.

The headteacher supports the staff by setting the standards of behaviour, and by supporting staff in the implementation of the policy. The headteacher monitors records of all reported serious incidents of misbehaviour and has the responsibility for giving fixed-term exclusions for serious acts of misbehaviour. For repeated or very serious acts of anti-social behaviour, the headteacher may permanently exclude a child. The governing body is notified of any fixed term exclusions.

In the case of a permanent exclusion, the Headteacher would convene the Pupil Discipline Committee of the Governing Body to consider the appropriateness of any permanent exclusion or fixed term exclusions totalling more than 15 days in one term or where a pupil is denied the chance to take a public examination. The Pupil Discipline Committee will then review the school’s Behaviour Policy and make recommendations on changes to the Governing Body.

Role of parents

The school works together with parents, so children receive the same messages about how to behave at home and at school. The school rules are displayed in various places around the school. These rules are reflected in agreed classroom rules, which are shared with the parents at the start of each year.

We expect parents to support their child’s learning, and to co-operate with the school. We build a supportive communication between the home and school, and we inform parents of their child’s successes or any concerns. Parents should inform the school of issues at home that may impact on a child’s behaviour in school.

Parents can contact the Pastoral Support Worker by phone or email () if they wish to share concerns. The Pastoral Support Worker is usually available at the beginning and end of each day for parents to speak to in person.

The school will contact parents at the first available opportunity if there are any concerns regarding a child’s behaviour. This could be face-to-face or by phone. The school will work positively with parents to support any children who need additional help in achieving positive conduct and learning behaviour.

If parents have any concern about their child, they should:

  1. Contact the class teacher / Pastoral Support Worker.
  2. Contact member of Senior Leadership Team (Senior Leaders can be contacted through the school office).
  3. Contact the headteacher.

Parents can request a copy of the school’s Complaints Procedure if they wish to make a complaint.

Role of Governors

The governing body has the responsibility of setting down these general guidelines on standards of discipline and behaviour, and of reviewing their effectiveness. The governors support the headteacher in carrying out these guidelines.

The headteacher has the day-to-day authority to implement the school behaviour and discipline policy, but governors may give advice to the headteacher about particular discipline issues. The headteacher must take this into account when making decisions about matters of behaviour.

The governors should follow the normal grievance procedure in cases of complaint. The Pupil Discipline Committee will be convened to consider representations from parents in relation to fixed term exclusions. Also, the Headteacher will convene the Pupil Discipline Committee of the Governing Body to consider the appropriateness of any permanent exclusion or where a pupil is denied the chance to take a public examination. The Pupil Discipline Committee will then review the school’s Behaviour Policy and make recommendations on changes to the Governing Body.

The School’s Christian Values

The school promotes strongly our Christian Values and our caring ethos through Collective Worship, class displays and regular rewards. Relevant Christian Values include ‘friendship’, ‘respect’, ‘truthfulness’ and ‘forgiveness’. Teaching children about the school’s Christian Values is one of the main ways that we promote positive behaviour and prevent poor behaviour from occurring. When dealing with incidents of misbehaviour, staff members routinely refer to the school’s Christian values and high expectations of behaviour. In particular, the importance of the Christian Value of ‘forgiveness’ is emphasised regularly in order to help children move on from an incident. These Christian Values underpin all our interactions with children and our decisions about how to deal with misbehaviour.

The curriculum and learning

We believe that an appropriately structured curriculum and effective learning contribute to engaging pupils, leading to good behaviour.

It follows that lessons must have clear objectives, understood by the children, and differentiated to meet the needs of children of different abilities. Marking and assessment are used both as supportive activity, providing feedback to children on their progress and achievements, and as a signal that the children’s efforts are valued and that progress matters. Lessons are planned to support children’s learning behaviour and offer them a wide variety of opportunities to engage fully and effectively within lessons.

Teachers use resources, materials and programmes that support the children in developing their aspirations and help them to take responsibility for their own learning, achievements and behaviour. For example, children are taught about learning behaviour explicitly through Building Learning Power. This is complimented by elements of other programmes that develop leadership skills and personal responsibility, such as ‘Be the Best You Can Be’ and ‘Lead Now’.

Classroom Management

Classroom management and teaching methods have an important influence on children’s behaviour. The classroom environment gives clear messages to the children about the extent to which they and their efforts are valued. Relationships between teacher and children, strategies for encouraging good behaviour, arrangements of furniture, access to resources and classroom displays all have a bearing on the way children behave.

Classrooms are organised to develop independence and personal initiative. Furniture is arranged to provide an environment conducive to on-task behaviour. Materials and resources are arranged to aid accessibility and reduce uncertainty and disruption. Displays help develop self-esteem through demonstrating the value of an individual’s contribution, and overall the classroom will provide a welcoming environment. All classrooms in the school have a display that promotes and rewards good learning behaviour and a display relating to the school’s Christian values.

Teaching methods encourage enthusiasm and active participation for all. Teachers make expectations of conduct and learning behaviour clear through devising class rules with the children. Lessons and the environment are planned to encourage active listening, for example through arrangements of furniture, appropriate time spent on whole-class teaching and effective questioning techniques that promote participation. Lessons develop the skills, knowledge and understanding that will enable the children to work and play in co-operation with others. Praise is used to encourage good behaviour as well as good work. Children are taught explicitly about developing leadership and ‘growth mind-sets’ to assist them in approaching school and relationshipspositively.

Situations are handled sensitively and dealt with in a way appropriate to the situation. Staff members are strongly discouraged from using loudly raised voices or shouting for minor misbehaviour.

Teachers maintain records of minor behaviour incidents in classroom logs and also keep records of serious behaviour incidents. Written accounts of serious incidents include antecedents in order to identify triggers and causes of misbehaviour. These records are kept in class behaviour folders and are passed onto the next teacher when pupils transfer to year groups. In addition to written logs, teachers may use tick-sheets and checklists to record the frequency of different types of misbehaviour. This helps to identify patterns of behaviour and identify triggers. If teachers judge that pupils’ behaviour poses a serious risk of injury to themselves or others, teachers will produce a risk assessment, which includes possible triggers and strategies for de-escalation. Teachers use their own professional judgement to decide what is recorded and whether an incident should be referred to the Senior Leadership Team.

Rewards include:

  • Verbal praise from staff for individuals, groups or classes of children
  • Non – verbal signals
  • Positive comments within books
  • Giving children responsibilities
  • Lunchtime stickers for particular behaviours – e.g. sharing, tidying, table manners
  • Individual stickers
  • Headteacher’s awards
  • Positive notes home for children to share with parents
  • Table or class points
  • Behaviour merits awarded weekly
  • Celebration assemblies used to share successes within and outside of school
  • Positive learning behaviour rewards within classrooms, such as moving towards a target on a learning behaviour display
  • Values stickers given to children who model effective Christian values
  • Learning Behaviour certificates
  • Postcards home

KS2 Behaviour Merits:

  • Merits are given for a range of positive learning behaviours and outcomes, including completing extra homework and working particularly hard in lessons.
  • Children may be rewarded with extra merits for good conduct behaviour and doing positive things, such as displaying the school’s Christian values.
  • Children who are not able to work within this system will follow an appropriate system developed by their class teacher (e.g. smiley chart) and be monitored closely by a member of the Senior Leadership team. Individual systems may be devised with the support of external agencies, such as the Behaviour Support Service.
  • If appropriate, teachers award ‘bonus merits’ for receiving multiple stickers.
  • Certificates for merits are presented at Key Stage Celebration Assemblies, to which parents are invited.

Sanctions

When a child forgets a classroom or whole school rule, or breaks it on purpose, sanctions will be used fairly and consistently. It is important to continue to reward and encourage the child for their good behaviour. The child will be given the choice after each sanction to conform. This encourages the child to take responsibility for his/her own behaviour. For those children who choose not to follow our school rules, the following consequences are carried out in order unless the misdemeanour is severe and therefore stages can be missed out:-

Early Years Foundation Stage

Reminder and modelling of behaviours

time out

Key Stage 1Warning

1 minute time out

3 minutes time out

Sent to Senior Leadership Team member

Sent to headteacher and parents contacted.

Key Stage 2Warning

Removal from group for set time/task

Removal from the group for the rest of the session plus time spent with teacher discussing the issues regarding the behaviour

Sent to another class for the rest of the session

Sent to Senior Leadership Team Member

Sent to Headteacher and parents contacted.

Teachers will address poor behaviour during a child’s ‘own’ time, such as break time or lunch time, when they decide it is appropriate to do so. Teachers have a legal power to put pupils under 18 in ‘detention’. Parental consent is not required for keeping children in at break time or lunch time. Staff members must act reasonably. For example, pupils should be allowed a reasonable time for eating, drinking and use of the toilet. Teachers use their professional judgement and consider pupils’ age and level of understanding when deciding how long a pupil should be kept in for.

A senior leader may decide that a child’s serious misbehaviour warrants separation from his / her peers during lesson time. Staff members will use their discretion to decide how long this should be for, carefully considering that consequences should be proportionate to the misbehaviour.

If misbehaviour is serious, persistent or a child does not appear to be responding to appropriate sanctions, parents will be informed by the class teacher in a timely fashion. This could be face-to-face or by phone.

As a church school, we encourage children to be sorry and seek forgiveness for any hurt they may cause to others. Where appropriate, it is an expectation that a child who has caused upset to another person should write a sorry note expressing their error and asking for forgiveness, and in return the receiver should forgive and the error be written off. Each day is a new start. If a misdemeanour occurs towards the end of the day, the parent will be informed and the child may be asked to write a sorry note that evening to bring into school the next day. School staff will decide whether it is appropriate for further action will be taken the next day.

It is important that the sanction is not out of proportion to the offence. Most instances of poor behaviour are relatively minor and can be adequately dealt with through minor sanctions. Where poor behaviour is persistent, it may be necessary to instigate an individual behaviour plan.

Time to discuss issues with the children is important and may take place during PSHE lessons or Worship. These sessions give the opportunity to reinforce expectations of behaviour and respect throughout the school.

PASTORAL SUPPORT

The school employs a Pastoral Support Worker, who liaises closely with both parents and staff members. It is vital that the relationship between school and home is strong. The Pastoral Support Worker helps pupils to manage emotions through one-to-one and small-group nurture support. Following a behavior incident, the perpetrator of poor behavior will receive relevant support in order to improve his /her behaviour and prevent an incident from re-occurring.

EXCLUSION

In rare cases it may be necessary to exclude a child. Exclusion is considered for serious breaches of the school rules, such as a physical assault, or repeated violations. Any child returning to school following exclusion is supported in positive re-integration. When a pupil is at risk of exclusion, the school liaises closely with relevant external agencies, such as social care, the Education Welfare Officer and the Local Offer Broker (formerly known as the Inclusion Co-ordinator). Exclusions may be for a fixed term, the length of which will be decided upon by the Headteacher in consultation with appropriate staff members and external agencies. For severe breaches of the school rules or dangerous behavior, the school will consider permanent exclusion.